ABSTRACT
The seven years between the end of land reform (1953) and the end of the Great Leap Forward (1960) were ones of alternating economic mobilization and retrenchment, culminating in the debacle of the Great Leap Forward. The period was punctuated by numerous campaigns for both political and economic purposes. Many a career was made through the proper administration of, and zealous participation in, these campaigns. Zhao Ziyang continued as director of the Rural Work Department until 1955, but relinquished his post as secretary-general of the South China Sub-Bureau Secretariat in 1954 when he assumed new positions. In July 1954 Zhao represented the central district of Guangdong at the first provincial People’s Congress. As director of the Rural Work Department, Zhao was responsible for promoting the Party’s numerous programs in the countryside and for directing the activities of all government agencies in the fields of agriculture, forestry, water conservancy, land reclamation, and veterinary medicine.
